Siding



April 7, 1970 D. K. HATCH Er AL 3,504,467

SIDING Filed April 25, 1968 AXVENTORS .D.K. HATCH JR. JP. CAULFILD United States Patent O 3,504,467 SIDING Dorrill Kent Hatch, Jr., Westfield, and James F. Caulfield,

North Plainfield, N.J., assignors to Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 724,121 Int. Cl. E04c 1/00; E04d l/ US. Cl. 52309 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Overlapping and interlocking siding panels are described which require only a single row of fastening means for securing the panels to a support. The siding panels have a longitudinal fastening flange which in cross-section defines a concave surface that is disposed in the same direction as the front surface of the siding panel. The siding panels produce a bevel appearance when installed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to siding.

Overlapping wooden bevel siding has been used many years. Wooden bevel siding, although attractive in appearance when employed for covering the exterior of various structures, possesses certain disadvantages and must be painted at regular intervals to protect the wood. In some instances, paint is ineffective in affording protection as when moisture is able to penetrate through the siding causing blistering cracking of the paint as well as rotting of the wood.

Various replacement materials for wood in the fabrication of siding have been employed in attempts to retain a pleasing bevel-siding visual effect while eliminating most of the disadvantages inherent in wood. Typical replacement materials for wood include metal siding, such as aluminum which has been precoated for desired appearance purposes. Semihardboard, highly-sized insulation board, asbestos sheets, as well as granule-covered or asphalt-coated bases of various materials have also been employed to fabricate siding.

A more recent development in wood-siding substitution comprises the use of plastics, particularly vinyl plastics, many of which may be readily pigmented to provide desired colors and hues. :Plastics are also low in cost, have good weather resistance, require no painting, and are free from splitting and other disadvantages inherent in wood. Plastic siding panels have been designed for use alone or with a rigid boardlike product called backerboard which generally is formed of materials having insulating roperties. Plastic siding panels have been desirably arranged in overlapping and interlocking relationship to provide a pleasing bevel-siding appearance while concomitantly providing weather resistance and insulation properties.

However, plastic materials are subject to expansion and contraction upon changes in temperature of their environment and readily telegraph very slight irregularities in substrates and thus present a problem in the design of siding panels with respect to heat response and acceptable installed appearance.

Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have siding panels, particularly plastic siding panels, which are not altered in appearance by ripples, identations or bulges upon 0r after installation.

SUMMARY This invention is directed to improved plastic panels useful as siding and particularly useful in exterior siding constructions.

Accordingly, typical objects of this invention are to provide (1) an improved siding panel, (2) siding panels having an improved fastening flange for securing them to supporting framework which prevents over fastening and permits expansion movement of the siding panel after installation, (3) plastic siding panels possessing improved thermal and impact performance, (4) improved overlapping and interlocking siding construction requiring a single transverse row of securing means, which are hidden from view after installation, for fastening the siding panels to supporting framework, (5 improved thermal insulating siding construction, (6) improved plastic siding construction in which the siding panels are highly resistant to blow off by wind, (7) siding panels having improved support and securing means for backerboard, (8) plastic siding panels which have a permanent attractive weatherside surface and are free from distortion and deforming when installed, and (9) an improved method for securing siding panels to a support with or without the use of backerboard.

Other objects, aspects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon further study of this disclosure, the drawing and appended claims.

Broadly, in accordance with this invention, the improved siding panel provided each comprises a generally rectangular peripheral configuration body member having a longitudinal protuberance extending continuously or intermittently from and along one longitudinal edge thereof with the concave surface of the protuberance positioned in the same direction as the front surface of the body member. The protuberance is provided with a plurality of spaced apertures for receiving fastening means to facilitate securing the siding panels to a support surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS This invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like parts within the various figures.

In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary detailed perspective view of an improved siding panel of this invention; FIGURE 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through successive panels applied to a support; FIG- URE 3, a view like FIGURE 2, illustrates the use of backerboard with the siding panels; and FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary detailed perspective view of a plurality of siding panels applied to a support.

Referring to the drawings, the improved siding panels of this invention each comprises a generally rectangular sheet member 10 formed of any material suitable for siding and particularly of plastic materials such as polyvinylchloride. The sheet member 10 may be homogeneous or of laminated structure and will preferably be of a thickness to render it substantially shape-retaining and substantially rigid. The rigidity of the sheet member 10 may be increased by ribs located at spaced intervals on its back surface. The sheet member 10 will preferably be of substantially uniform thickness throughout and preferably of uniform width throughout. The sheet member 10 will usually be made in selected lengths, such as lengths of six feet or eight feet or greater and in selected widths, such as widths of six inches or eight inches or greater which can be handled, packed, shipped and installed easily.

Disposed along the upper longitudinal margin of sheet member 10 is rib 11 which projects outwardly from the front surface of sheet member 10. Disposed in an upwardly manner along rib 11 is protuberance or fastening flange 15 having a curvilinear cross section. Although the cross section of flange 15 as shown in the drawing is a smooth curve, it is to be understood that the cross section of flange 15 may be a broken curve to provide a concave configuration such as a portion of an octagon or hexagon, i.e., formed of two or more rectilinear sections joined together in a semi-circular manner. The concave surface of fastening flange 15 is disposed in the same direction as does the front surface of sheet member 10. Although flange 15 is shown as a continuous projection from rib 11 in the drawings, it is to be understood that it may be formed of a plurality of projections which are spaced intermittently along the longitudinal edge of rib 11 and sheet member 10. The upper longitudinal edge of fastening flange 15, if desired, can terminate in an upward direction to form lip 16. Also, disposed in a downwardly manner along rib 11 is pendent flap 12 which terminates with inturned rib or serration 13. Pendent flap 12 and rib 11 together with the front surface of sheet member defines a longitudinal channel disposed below fastening flange 15. Apertures 14 are provided at spaced intervals along fastening flange 15 to accommodate the passage of fastening metns used in securing the siding panel to a support.

Disposed along the lower longitudinal margin of sheet member 10 in inturned bottom flange 18 projecting behind the front surface of sheet member 10. Projecting upwardly from the back edge of bottom flange 18 is detent flap 19 which terminates with inturned rib or serration 20. Detent flap 19 and bottom flange 18 together with the back surface of sheet member 10 defines longitudinal channel 21. Disposed along bottom flange 18 at selected intervals are drain apertures 24 which prevent the accumulation of moisture behind sheet member 10.

It is to be understood that ribs or serrations 13 and 20 provide interlocking means and that such means can be outwardly turned as well as inturned to provide interlocking beads or ribs at the termination of flaps 12 and In FIGURE 2, a plurality of the aforedescribed siding panels are illustrated in interlocking and overlapping relationship secured to a support 23 by nails 17 traversing fastening flanges 15 through apertures 14. In this crosssectional view it is clearly seen that when installed the lower portion of each siding panel overlaps the upper portion including the fastening flange 15 of the adjacent lower siding panel. Detent flap 19 of an upper siding panel is positioned in the channel behind pendent flap 12 of the adjacent lower siding panel and pendent flap 12 of a lower siding panel is positioned in channel 21 of the adjacent upper siding panel so that serrations 13 and 20 mesh to form a locking mechanism between the adjacent panels and provide the interlocking relationship.

Since the upper edge of each siding panel is disposed against the support 23 and the lower portion of each siding member is in overlapped relationship with the upper portion of the adjacent lower siding panel, a pleasing bevel-siding appearance is obtained.

In FIGURE 3, the use of backerboard 22 with the siding panels is illustrated. It is to be noted that backerboard 22 does not formfit with the back surface of the siding panels and does not rest in channel 21 of the siding panel which is the conventional combination for siding and backerboard. With the siding panels of this invention, backerboard 22 is positioned for intimate contact with and behind fastening flange 15 so that nails 17 traverse the backerboard to secure it in position between the siding panel and support 23. The upper end of the hackerboard extends above fastening flange 15 to provide an overlapping relationship with the backerboard of the adjacent upper backerboard. The lower end of backerboard 22 terminates a short distance above the lower edge of the siding panel so that it rests on and is supported by lip 16 of the adjacent lower siding panel. The backerboard 22 can 'be of any material suitable for use to back siding and generally will have insulating properties, good Water resistance and capable of being nailed to a support. Typical materials for forming suitable backerboard are gypsum board llffibaard, semihardboard, plywood, as

4 bestos board, particle board, plastic foam, glass wool, and the like.

In FIGURE 4, a plurality of siding panels are illustrated as installed in accordance with this invention over a support 23. This figure clearly shows the pleasing bevelsiding appearance obtained with the siding panels of this invention. It is further observed from this figure that more apertures 14 can be provided in fastening flange 15 than are necessary for each to receive fastening means to secure the siding panels to a support. Apertures 14 are provided at sufficient intervals to insure engagement of suitable fastening means with any type of support means. It will be further observed from this figure that apertures 14 are elongated in shape and extend lengthwise of fastening flange 15 which permits slight longitudinal movement of the siding panel on the fastening means 17 after the siding panel has been installed.

A single row of fastener means, such as nails 17, placed at regular intervals, to secure the siding panels to a supporting framework is adequate to maintain the siding in a. sturdy condition of assembly when assisted by the interlocking action of the pendent flap 12 and detent flap 19 of adjacent upper and lower siding panels.

It is also apparent from FIGURE 4 that should a wind or other force attempt to pull the siding from the supporting surface, it must first overcome the retention force with which each sliding panel is retained to support by nails 17, as well as the interlocking action of pendent flaps 12 and detent flaps 19.

As previously indicated, a major problem of sidings formed from materials other than Wood and particularly from plastics such as polyvinylchloride is the tenderness or lack of stiffness of the material which causes the slightest irregularity in the substrate or support to telegraph to the surface of the siding panel as a bump or distortion. Such telegraphing produces a poor appearance in the finished installation.

During installation, the securing of the sliding panel to the support often causes telegraphing of the siding panel. When the securing means, such as nails, are overdriven, stresses are applied directly to the siding panel which results in bowing or distortion of its exposed surface. Also, locking of the siding panel to the support by tight nailing prevents the horizontal movement of the siding panel with changes in temperatures which results in the formation of bulges and distortion in the surface of the siding panel.

The fastening flange 15 provided on the siding panels of this invention being of concave configuration in crosssection has the advantage of preventing and discouraging the overdriving of the nail or securing means when installing the siding panels. Due to the concave configuration of the fastening flange 15, a hammerhead must make definite contact with the fastening flange 15 to overdrive the nail, and overnailing deforms the concave configuration of the fastening flange 15 which disrupts the long straight lip 16 at the top edge thereof. These factors immediately indicate to the applicator that overnailing has occurred and the nails can easily be withdrawn sufliciently to eliminate any stress applied to the panel as the hammerhead can be readily inserted behind the fastening flange 15 at this time during the installation. The builtin spring action of the fastening flange due to its configuration in cross-section prevents damage to the exposed surface of the siding panel when struck by the hammer during nailing. Also, the concave configuration of the fastening flange 15 serves to distribute any pressure and stress caused from the nail head contacting the siding panel over a wide area which minimizes any tendency of such pressure or stress to be transmitted to the exposed surface of the sliding panel. Also, rib 11 provided between the sheet member 10 and the fastening flange 15 of the siding panel reinforces the upper section of the siding panel and further spreads any deformation caused by overnailing over a wider area which reduces transmission of stress from the nail to the exposed surface of the panel and results in reducing the slope of any deformation in the panel and minimizes creating poor appearance of the panels after installation.

After installation, siding panels must be permitted to have some horizontal movement to compensate for changes in dimensions, particularly length, due to changes in temperature. The elongated configuration of apertures 14 in fastening flange 15 and the elimination of overnailing of the siding panels of this invention as previously discussed allow the siding panels to slide on nails or other fastening means 17 without undue restriction in their horizontal movement after installation.

Another problem encountered with glossy surfaced plastic siding is the presence of undulations and distortions in the siding panels caused by undulations in the support substrate. The siding panels of this invention overcome this problem in that the fastening flange 15 prevents a nail or securing means 17 from pushing the siding panels all the way into a depression in the substrate and the fastening flange 15 and reinforcing rib 11 form a beamlike structure which spans over or bridges the low place in the substrate.

When backerboard is used with the siding panel of this invention, improved impact resistance is achieved at the area of interlock over conventional backed siding because the lower portion of the siding panel remains flexible and yieldable because the backerboard is not extended down into channel 21. Also, with the siding panels of this invention, each course of backerboard is overlapped tightly with the preceding course which provides a thermal barrier and eliminates the conventional provision of a thermal gap.

The siding panels of this invention are applied to a support surface in the manner conventionally used for applying overlapping and interlocking siding.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the aforedisclosed siding panels will obtain the objects of this disclosure and provides many advantages in the use of substitute materials for wood in making and installing siding heretofore unobtainable by siding panels known to the art. Also, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes may be made in the various element of the siding panels described above to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a siding panel comprising (A) a generally rectangular peripheral configuration sheet member having a protuberance integrally extending from a first longitudinal edge thereof, said protuberance having a plurality of spaced horizontally elongated fastener receiving apertures disposed therein;

(B) a first interlocking flap of general rectangular peripheral configuration which projects downwardly from the lower edge of said protuberance in spacial overlapping relationship with a portion of the front surface of said sheet member;

(C) a butt flange of general rectangular peripheral configuration which projects rearwardly from a second longitudinal edge of said sheet member;

(D) a second interlocking flap of general rectangular peripheral configuration which projects upwardly from the rear of said butt flange in spacial overlapping relationship with a portion of the back surface of said sheet member;

the improvement which comprises having the concave surface of said protuberance disposed in the same direction as the front surface of said sheet member.

2. The siding panel of claim 1 wherein a reinforcing rib is disposed between the lower edge of said protuberance and said first longitudinal edge of said sheet member.

3. The siding panel of claim 1 fabricated from a plastic material.

4. The siding panel of claim 1 fabricated from polyvinylchloride.

5. The siding panel of claim 1 wherein said protuberance extends continuously along said first longitudinal edge of said sheet member.

6. The siding panel of claim 1 wherein said first and second interlocking flaps terminate with inturned lips.

7. A plurality of the siding panels of claim I mounted in courses on a substrate with fastening means transversing said apertures and with said first and second interlocking flaps, respectively, of vertically adjacent siding panels in engagement.

8. The construction of claim 7 wherein the panels are in horizontal courses.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 26,056 7/1966 Hickman 52543 X 330,916 11/1885 Northrop 52521 330,917 11/1885 Northrop 52521 2,199,924 5/ 1940 Randolph 52-521 2,782,888 2/1957 Rodenbaugh 52-531 3,142,937 8/1964 Ess 52520 3,376,683 4/1968 Epstein 52531 3,394,520 7/1968 Skelton 5253l JOHN MURTAGH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52--52l, 531 

